Ducks' stars roll Sharks, rookies seize chances in preseason opener

ANAHEIM, Calif. – So much has happened to and been said about the Anaheim Ducks since they last skated in a competitive game.

Following the end of their first playoff appearance in eight seasons back in May, the NHL-record offer sheet to Leo Carlsson reset the entire league's salary structure, rising the tide of every boat among this summer's free agent class. It made choppy waters for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, who was then forced to watch the entire veteran right side of his defensive corps walk and come to a mutual termination agreement with Chris Kreider to be able to sign Cutter Gauthier just before training camp.

It was a domino-effect of events that made for plenty of questions heading into the 2026-27 season, and while those answers weren't written in ink as Anaheim opened its preseason schedule on Sunday afternoon, there was some clarity that things might just be all right.

Beckett Sennecke notched a hat trick, while Carlsson and Jackson LaCombe logged two-point nights, as the Ducks rolled the San Jose Sharks, 6-2, at Honda Center. Anaheim's likely third-string netminder Laurent Brossoit made 21 saves against San Jose's largely non-NHL roster.

Here are the major takeaways from the first of four preseason games:

Best Players Were the Best Players

As noted, San Jose's line-up was less than formidable, particularly up against the one the Ducks skated with, which included Anaheim's top-four scorers from last season in Gauthier, Carlsson, Sennecke and LaCombe. With that in mind, the result was as one would expect, which is just fine from a Ducks perspective.

Despite giving up the opening goal 97 seconds into the game – a familiar refrain from a year ago – Anaheim's skill advantage surfaced quickly. Gauthier blazed past the Sharks defense 80 seconds after their goal to find LaCombe for the equalizer off the rush, and three minutes after that, Carlsson diced up the middle of the zone for a highlight reel strike.

The Sharks tied the game in the second period (each one of San Jose's strikes will be addressed in later takeaways), but one minute later, Carlsson sauced a pass to a speeding Sennecke on the power play for the go-ahead strike. Sennecke would score from distance later in the second, and the sophomore finished off the natural hat trick on a breakaway in the third period.

If there were any concerns that Carlsson, Gauthier or LaCombe wouldn't live up to their new deals or Sennecke would hit a sophomore slump, those concerns were pretty well brushed away.

Klepov Catching On

One of the more interesting developments of the offseason was 2026 first-round pick Nikita Klepov forgoing his commitment to Michigan State and signing his entry level deal with Anaheim.

Last week at the Ducks rookie camp, Klepov said his decision came after Carlsson's offer sheet, when he figured it would be a good idea to sign and work towards making the Ducks roster. With Anaheim's salary cap situation tightened, there was likely an open spot to be had in the Ducks forward ranks.

With Kreider gone and Troy Terry out for another 2-3 months, there certainly is open space for a skilled scoring forward up front, and the 18-year-old Florida-born Russian was given a huge opportunity to prove himself out of the gate, as he skated on Anaheim's top line with Carlsson and Gauthier on Sunday.

"It was really nice to play with them," Klepov said. "They're always open, and it's easy to find them."

Throughout training camp, Klepov has displayed his skilled hands and vision, and he did not look out of place alongside the Ducks' newly paid stars. Klepov picked up an assist on Carlsson's first-period goal and was a plus-2 in 14:25 of ice time.

"He's got some good instincts," Joel Quenneville said. "Clever with the puck. Has a tendency to make plays, got some deception to his game. Fortunate to be playing with the high-end talent he was out there with, but at the same time, I thought he acclimated himself well."

McQueen Making Moves?

After the trade of Mason McTavish – which gave the Ducks the two first-round picks that became Klepov and Marcus Nordmark (who was sent back to his junior team earlier in the day) – there was a groundswell of support to make Anaheim's No. 2 center of the future the No. 2 center of now in 2025 first-round pick Roger McQueen.

The 6-foot-6 19-year-old made his professional debut with AHL San Diego last season after a solid college campaign at Providence, and like Klepov, McQueen was going to get plenty of runway to potentially earn a spot through the preseason.

On Sunday, McQueen centered the third line between Alex Killorn and Sam Colangelo and finished with an even plus/minus in 15:39 of ice time. A miscommunication in the neutral zone aided San Jose's first goal, but McQueen was on the ice for Anaheim's last goal of the game, as well.

"Haven't really played at a speed like that," McQueen said of his first game at NHL pace. "Obviously, a little bit of adjusting in the first, but I think as the game went on, it went a lot smoother and got used to my linemates. It was nice to play with older guys like that and guys that have played. They made it easy on me."

It wasn't a performance that lowered his stock, but it didn't raise it much either. Again, McQueen will get plenty of run in this preseason, as the Ducks evaluate his best development path.

Luneau Steps Up

It was assumed before anyone even touched the ice in this camp that Tristan Luneau would finally stick with the Anaheim Ducks into the 2026-27 season. Luneau has made it out of camp twice before with the Ducks, but he was always returned to AHL San Diego early on for more seasoning.

By nearly every account, Luneau is more than ready for NHL duty, and with nearly the entire right-side of the Ducks defensive corps moving on in the offseason, the dynamic right-hander was getting his biggest opportunity yet to prove his worth. Luneau did so in spades on Sunday.

The 22-year-old began the game on the second defensive pairing with newcomer Travis Mitchell, and it was his offensive vision that sprung Gauthier to set up LaCombe's game-tying goal early in the first period. After Drew Helleson left the game due to injury – there was no update postgame, and the Ducks are off on Monday – Luneau was pushed up to the top pair and shined.

"I liked him a lot tonight," Quenneville said. "He moved well. A lot of nice plays and patience in the offensive point… You didn't get too much exposure defensively, but at the same times, that's the growth we want to see and want to work with him in that area. At the same time, I thought his movement all over the ice was what we're looking for."

Luneau had one major misstep on San Jose's second goal, as he committed to a 50-50 puck on the boards as the last man back and lost the race. The Sharks sprung in behind to turn a two-on-one into a breakaway to tie the game. However, he posted two assists and ripped a one-timer for the Ducks' last goal of the night. He was a plus-3 in a team-high 25:31 of ice time with power play and penalty killing duties.